Shoe with channel members embedded in sole



N A M D A D A H Filed' sept. 20, 194e SHOE WITH CHANNEL MEMBERS EMBEDDED IN SOLE INM.

ATORNEY.

Patented May 30, 1950 STATES PATENT OFFICE SHE WITH CHANNEL MEMBERS EWEDDED IN SOLE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shoes. More particularly, this invention relates to improvements in shoes wherein the heel is removably attached to the body portion or' the shoe and Iwherein the upper section or the shoe is also removably secured to the body portion oi the shoe.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a shoe wherein the heel is removn ably secured to the shoe body and wherein the upper section of the shoe is also removably secured to the shoe body.

In the methods that are presently being used. to manufacture shoes, and in particular in the methods that are presently being used t manufacture attractive and well-built shoes for women, many individual operations must be performed on the elements to be used in making the upper sections of the shoes; and then additional operations must be performed to assemble the various elements and secure them together in the form of the upper sections of the shoes. In addition, the upper sections must be attached to the body portions of the shoes; and this requires operations that are concomitant with or subsequent to the multiple operations called for in preparing the individual elements prior to their assembly as formed upper sections for shoes. These many and varied operations produce smart, Well-built shoes but they make the cost of Womens shoes inordinately high. Moreover, present methods of making shoes do not permit free interchangeability of the formed upper sections of the shoes prior to and subsequent to the time they are attached to the body portions of the shoes. Similarly, present methods of making shoes do not permit free interchangeability of the heels of the shoes prior to and subsequent to the time they are attached to the body portions of the shoes. As a result, it is not feasible in the shoe industry today to provide one particular type of shoe body and then secure to that body any one of a number of upper sections and any one of la number of heels. The inability of present day shoe man ufacturing methods to provide this flexibility and interchangeability in the making of shoes cooperates with the many operations required in making and assembling the individual elements of the upper sections to maintain the prices of Womens shoes at unduly high levels. Moreover, once the upper sections and heels are attached to the body of the shoe, they are not easily removed and replaced. For these reasons, present day shoes and the methods of making them are objectionable. The present invention obviates these objections by providing a shoe body to which a heel and an upper section can be removably secured. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shoe wherein the upper section and the heel are removably .secured to the body of the shoe.

In many present day shoes, the shoe body is itself formed of a number of individual elements; for example, the body of the shoe may include a platform, a platform cover, an insole and an outsole. Such shoes are expensive because of the cost of making the individual elements `and because oi the high cost of assembling those elements properly in making the shoe body. The present invention avoids these high costs by providing a molded or cast, plastic shoe body of unitary construction. lt is therefore an object or the present invention to provide a shoe with a molded or cast, plastic shoe body;

In making shoes, it is often desirable to attach bright metal objects of various shapes to the shoes to make them more attractive. It is the present practice with shoes of this type to cement, nail or otherwise attach these objects to the shoes. However it has been found that these objects sometimes become separated from the shoes and are lost. This is objectionable since the loss of the objects impairs the appearance of the shoe. The present invention obviates such loss by casting or molding the plastic body of the shoe around the metal objects. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a shoe wherein metal objects are cast or molded on the shoe body.

Present day methods of making smart and well constructed open-toe and opere-heel shoes for women can necessitate the performance of over one hundred individual and assembly operations. A tremendous number or those operations can be completely eliminated by using the present invention; and, in fact, as many as one hundred of those operations can be eliminated.. This greatly decreases the cost of the shoes; and the present invention does this by providing a plurality of spaced channels in the body of the shoe to receive and hold portions of the open-toeand open-heel upper section of the shoe. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a shoe which is provided with spaced channels that receive and hold portions of the upper section of the shoe.

By providing a- Shoe body to which various heels and various upper sections can be removably secured, it is possible to buy a shoe with one style or color or heel and one style or color of upper section :and then, after wearing that shoe lfor a while, remove the original upper section or,

heel or both and replace them with a different upper section or a dierent heel or both. Thus it is possible to provide one shoe body that can be used with different upper sections and diiferent heels to fit the changing interests and ideas of the user.

Other objects and advantages of the invention should become apparent from an examination of the drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying description, a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described but it is to be understood that the drawing and accompanying description are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the invention and that the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a partially sectioned side view of a shoe that is made in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heel-attaching plate molded or cast into the shoe body of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the heel tap shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the shoe sole of Fig. l and it is taken along a plane which is parallel to and extends through one of the channels in the front portion of that shoe sole, and

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a portion of the shoe sole of Fig. 1 which eric-ases one of the channels in the front portion of that shoe sole.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral Iii denotes `a shoe sole or body which may be made of cast or molded plastic. As shown in the drawing, the shoe body i@ does not have a metal shank support incorporated therein but it is obvious that if additional strength is desired or required a metal shank plate could easily be cast or molded in the shoe body Iii. Formed unitarily with the rear portion of the shoe body I0, as by molding or casting the plastic of the shoe body It around it, is a heel-attaching plate I2, which has a generally-horizontally disposed section and a generally-vertically disposed section. The vertically disposed section carries a spring latch It. Also formed unitarily with the rear portion of the shoe body it is a hollow, openended, rectangular tube or channel, of the type shown in Figs. l and 5, which is immediately above the generally-horizontal section of the attaching plate l2. This channel is completely enclosed by the plastic of the shoe body and its outer edges are spaced inwardly from the edges of the shoe body Iii. Spaced between the outer edges of the channel and the outer edges of the shoe body I are thin sections of plastic which have openings I5 therethrough; and the inner surface of the channel is flush with the surfaces of the openings lb in the shoe body i9. If desired, this channel may be secured to the heelattaching plate l2 prior to the time the channel and the attaching plate I 2 are cast, molded or otherwise embedded in the shoe body i0; or, if desired, this channel and the attaching plate I2 may be independent of each other prior to the time they are embedded in the shoe body It.

Also embedded in the shoe body Iii are two hollow, open-ended rectangular tubes or channels, I l, that are adjacent the front portion of the shoe body Ill. These two channels, as well as the channel at the rear of the shoe body lil, are preferably of light metal such as aluminum or magnesium; and thus they do not materially increase the weight of the shoe. These two channels are completely enclosed by the plastic of the shoe body I 0 and their outer edges are spaced inwardly from the outer edges of the shoe body I0. Spaced between the outer edges of these two channels and the outer edges of the shoe body I0 are thin sections I9 of plastic which have openings I8 therethrough; and the inner surfaces of these two channels are ilush with the surfaces of the openings I8 in the thin sections of the shoe body I0.

In casting or molding the shoe body I0, care must be exercised to keepthe plastic of the shoe body I from filling or obstructing the channels at the front and rear of the shoe body IIJ. This can be done conveniently by inserting plugs of material, to which the plastic will not adhere, in the ends of the channels prior to the casting or molding operation. It can also be done conveniently by having projections on the interior of the mold sections that are in register-with the ends of the channels and will close those ends during the casting or molding operation. Upon completion of the molding or casting operation, the plugs or the mold projections can easily be removed.

Attached to the plate I2 by means of the latching member I4 is a heel 2D which has a hollow recess 22, a shoulder 24, and a bottom opening 26. The heel 20 is adapted to slip upwardly along the attaching plate I2 until the top of the heel 2@ engages the bottom of the shoe body I0. At such time the shoulder 24 will be at the level of the top of the latching member I4; and the member I4 will spring into the position shown in Fig. 1. Thereafter the heel 2t will be held against separating movement by the engagement between shoulder 24 and latching member I4 until an elongated instrument, such as a nail file or a pencil, is inserted through the open bottom 2S of the heel 20 and is used to force the latching member I4 into a position flush with the rear face of the vertically-extending portion of attaching plate I2. In such a position, the latching member will be out of engagement with and'will be clear of the shoulder 24 thus permitting the heel 2!! to be separated from the shoe body I0.

Normally closing the open bottom 26 of the heel 2d is heel tap 28 which carries latching clip 3Q. This heel tap not only provides a removable closure for the opening 26 but it also provides the required cushioning for walking, protects the edges of th-e opening 2t, and permits ready replacement of one of the most quickly worn portions of the shoe.

Passing through the openings i8 and the channels contiguous therewith are straps 32 and 34 that are tied or otherwise held in a bow. Passing through the opening I5 and the channel contiguous therewith is a strap 3% which is twisted into the configuration shown in the drawing and is formed into a bow. These straps 32, 34 and 36 may be of any design or material so long as they will pass through the channels; and therein lies part of the flexibility of the present invention. Any straps of suitable design or strength can be inserted through the channels: they can be of the type that lace up the leg, they can be of the type indicated in the drawing, they can be of the type that are connected to each other by additional straps, they can be of the type that buckle to their own ends, they can be of the type that have their free ends insertable into the channels and held there by suitable locking means, or they can be of any other type that conforms to the teachings of the present invention. If desired, more than two channels can be located adjacent the front section of the body l0, and additional channels can be located adjacent the rear section of the shoe body i0. Moreover, ii desired, not intended to be used channels or solid metal objects can be embedded in the cast or molded shoe body l0. Such metal objects would add to the aesthetic value of the shoe.

The shoe body I0 shown in the drawing is provided with a thin perspiration-resistant allergyproof layer Il that isolates the major portion of the shoe body l0 from the wearers foot. This layer will protect the major portion of the shoe body l0 from any deleterious action perspiration might tend to have on it, and the layer ll will also protect the wearers foot from contact with the plastic material of the shoe body l0 and will thus permit use of the shoe by persons who may be allergic to plastic materials. While it is not contemplated that the plastic materials usable in making the shoe body lli could aiect people, the invention can provide complete protection for everyone. Such a layer may not be desirable in every case. and it can easily be dispensed With in those instances where the plastic of the shoe body I0 is fully perspiration-proof and is fully allergy-proof. In those instances where the layer H is used, it can be cemented or otherwise secured to the shoe body I0.

In making the shoe, a number of shoe bodies I0 are made up in different sizes and colors and with dilierent arrangements of channels, upper sections are made up in different sizes, colors and styles, and heels are made up in different shapes. colors and styles; thereafter the heels are assembled with the shoe bodies by pressing them into engagement with the attaching plates of the shoe bodies and the upper sections are secured to the shoe bodies by means of the channels. Thus in an extremely small number of operations it is possible to make an attractive and useful shoe. In using the shoe, the wearer uses it as it is received from the store; but if the user wishes to change the color or style of the upper section or the heel, she need only have a repairman remove the heel or upper section and replace it with a suitable replacement.

Whereas the drawing and accompanying description have shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that many changes may be made in the form of the invention without aiecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A shoe that comprises a unitary shoe sole, an upper section, and a plurality of transversely extending channel members that are embedded in and carried by said shoe sole and are adapted to cooperate with said upper section to maintain said shoe sole and said upper section in assembled relation, said channel members having the ends thereof spaced inwardly of the sides of said shoe sole, said shoe sole having portions thereof extending outwardly beyond the ends of said channel members to dene openings in register with said channel members.

2. In a shoe, a shoe sole that has transversely disposed, hollow, open-ended channel members embedded therein that communicate with the atmosphere external of said shoe sole, and straps that are carried vby said channel members, said channel members being of metal and having the interior thereof flush with those portions of said shoe sole that extend outwardly beyond the ends of said channel members.

3. A shoe that comprises a shoe sole, a plurality of open-ended channel members embedded in said sole so the outer ends of said channel members are spaced inwardly from the outer edges of said shoe sole, said shoe sole having thin sections that are spaced between the outer edges of the channel members and the outer edges of the shoe sole and have openings therethrough in register with the open ends of said channel members.

HARRY A. DADISMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 226,532 McDonald Apr. 13, 1880 477,851 Saunders June 28, 1892 950,933 Koch Feb. 22, 1910 1,333,138 Snider Mar. 9, 1920 1,681,548 Marcus Aug. 21, 1928 2,109,657 Perault Mar'. 1, 1938 2,151,152 Riess Mar. 21, 1939 2,239,206 Tietig Apr. 22, 1941 2,262,680 Hosker Nov. 11, 1941 2,381,389 Riesing Aug. 7, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 760,714 France Dec. 14, 1933 

